Lackadaisy Medicine
by EddyPM
Summary: Mordecai always considered himself devoid of emotions, something good in his line of work. After a job gone wrong, though, he meets someone who makes him doubt his emotion-shutting ability. Meanwhile, a new gang is in town, and Marigold is out for revenge. Mordecai/OC.
1. Prologue: A Handfull of Buckshot

_** I really like this great little comic on the internet, so I figured I would take it on as my next project. I really like the character of Mordecai Heller, and I always thought of how his relationships must go. Instead of just torturing myself with questions, I decided to publish them, to see if I`m really that crazy**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing (except for my OC`s). Lackadaisy belongs to Tracy.**_

* * *

Lackadaisy Medicine

A bloddy mess. That was what his arm was. He clutched it tightly as Seraphine and Nico screamed in that half-french, half-english language that he thought was obnoxious.

Mordecai was pitifully thrown on the backseat of the car as Nico stepped hard on the gas. A copious amount of blood was pouring from his mangled shoulder, and his vision was beggining to fail him as well. If his glasses had been stained with blood, it would take him a good amount of time to clean the lenses. If the situation had been other, he would have complained. Of that, and of the pitifull lack of simetry and cleanliness on the car.

How to describe that job?

- _Merde! - _came the word, flying from Seraphine`s mouth.

He didn`t know what it meant, but the word was nice enough.. So he used it to think of it.

It had all started out as a simple pickup. Old supplier, an old man with somewhat of a danger addiction. It was all meant to be a routine assignement. However, once they arrived in the location, they were met by a hail of gunfire, coming from a Police car near their position. The supplier got shot in the gut and, before he could get to safety, Mordecai had received a handfull of buckshot to the shoulder.

And now, there they were, rushing toward a hospital with him bleeding gallons.

Mordecai could hear some sounds coming from outside the car, the screeching of tires being the most proeminent. He could also hear the sound of police sirens coming after them, though the sound was getting harder to hear.

Suddenly, Seraphine looked back through the rear window. The next thing Mordecai saw was she whipping out that BAR of hers - what did she call it? Bordeaux? - and started oumping rounds through the shattered window. Mordecai heard scrreching and a crash.

Seraphine smiled, the twin barrels of her gun still smoking. She sat down, tense again. Mordecai can feel the small bullet capsules rolling and coming to contact with his face.

- Where do we take him? – Serafine asked her brother, who hadn`t spoken a word, too concentrated on driving like a madman.

_ - Je ne sais pás!_ – He screamed at her with his thick accent – _Non _hospital! It`s _tres_ dangerous! Dem cops could show up.

_ - Et _Sweet? Let`s get to Maribel!

- What about the chase?

_ - Ne vous inquiétez pás. – _she said, a smile half showing on her distressed face. – The had a _réunion_ with Bordeaux. Dey won`t be bothering us.

Nico nodded, and Mordecai felt the car drifting along a Road anc changing direction to Maribel.

He would have complained about the lack of safety in taking them back to Maribel, but all He could do was cough and bleed some more.

His vision started to fade away. He fell out cold.

Damn job...


	2. The Intern

Chapter 1:

Seraphine slammed the door open when the car stoped in front of the Maribel Hotel. She was quickly followed by Nico, and they both managed to haul the black cat out of the car and through the door of the luxorious building.

The receptionist gave off a shocked view when He saw the two Cajun enter the room carrying the triggerman, but quickly called his boss when He noticed that Mordecai was bleeding on the carpet.

- Mr. Sweet? – He asked, on the phone. – Mr. and Mrs. Savoy have Just arrived.

- Serafine and Nico? – came his voice, on the other side. – What about our sack of cheerfulness?

- It seems that Mr. Heller has been shot.

00000

Sweet jumped from his chair.

- Give them room 689! I`ll be there. Call a doctor, for God`s sake!

Asa Sweet wasn`t usually a man of action. He much rather pull the strings from the background and see how it all unfolded, usually with a smile on his face. His bulky frame, opposite from Nico`s, was mainly because of his _Bon-vivant _attitude. However, as much as his lungs were almost coal because of his extensive knowledge about cigars, he ran as fast as he could to the elevator to go down to the sixth floor.

He just couldn`t let Heller die on his hands. He liked to treat his employees as people, not tools. Even though Heller would scarcely classify himself as a "model citizen", he was still under his wing. What would the patrons say if his jack-of-all-trades died because of a bleeding wound? It would probably go bad for business.

The elevator arrived, and Asa quickly stepped inside, clicking for the sixth floor of the Maribel.

Asa took pride in being the owner of St. Louis`s most succesfull speakeasy, the Marigold Room. Now that he had no competitors other than Mitzi`s little crusade, business should be booming.

Well, it wasn`t.

Somehow, the patrons seemed to be diminishing by the day. Asa was beggining to get worried about it, but he had more pressing issues right now.

The elevator slowly made it`s way down to the sixth floor. The damned thing sounded like it would snap the cables and plummet to the ground in an instant but, with the excpetion of newer patrons, everyone in Marigold seemed to be accostumated with it.

The elevator stopped, and Asa rushed out of the small metal box, rushing towards room 689. He saw a small trail of blood leading to the room, which made him run even faster.

Finnaly arriving, Asa unlocked the door. He slammed it open, and saw Seraphine and Nicodeme lowering Mordecai on the big bed. Mordecai was clutching his shoulder in what seemed to be great pain, which was obvious if you took the considerably-sized hole underneath his hand, which had it`s white fur all covered in blood.

Heller`s otherwise impecable black coat had one sleeve mangled and red. His face was strained.

- Mordecai! – Asa shouted, closing the door behind him. Then, he turned to Seraphine and Nico: - What the hell happened?

- He got shot! – Nico said, checking the wound

- Why, thank you, Nico! I hadn`t noticed! – Asa snapped. He looked att Seraphine. – Who did this?!

- Police! Showed up at the _rendevous _and killed the supplier. We _pointillée _here.

- You brought the police here?! – Asa asked, now more stressed than ever.

_ - Non. _I shot one of the cars, and the other one got lost.

_ - Dieu, _where is de doctor?! – Nico asked. – He`s gunna die!

00000

In a hospital not too far from there, the phone had rung. Dr. Smith, the doctor in charge of the night shifts picked it up.

- Barnes Hospital. Dr. Smith speaking.

- We have an emergency.

- All right, what is it?

- A shotgun wound.

If any other doctor had been at the phone, they would have probably been nervous about that. However, Smith was very much used to that sort of wound. Since the Prohibition, people had been more prone to shoot others. And they claimed the Prohibition was there to supress violence...

- Who`s speaking?

- Maribel Hotel.

Now Smith was nervous.

He knew about the Marigold Room, and had even visited it himself a couple of times in the past. If something had managed to shoot one of their "messagers", then it was bound to be something bad.

- I`ll be heading there right away. I have an intern who is eager to proove herself.

- We`ll be waiting.

Smith turned to phone off and headed back to the waiting room.

When he reached the room, he saw his intern in a chair, reading a Vogue megazine.

Her name was Mary Clearwater. She was 25. Small girl, with a petitte figure. Her fur was creamy-white, though the tip of her tail was purê white. She had a few darker stripes on her face, and Smith had assumed they wer on her entire body. Her hair was dirty-blonde, and her eyes were deep blue.

- Saddle up, Mary. – Doctor Smith told her. – We have an urgent call from Maribel.

- What happened? – Mary asked, puttng on her white coat. It had been a quiet night down at Barnes Hospital and Mary`s shift was almost ending when they received the call.

- Uhmm... – Smith stumbled. – You`ll know when we get there.

Mary found that strange. Smith usually told her about the cases. Why the secrecy now? She brushed her tail with her hand to ensure it was clean, and snatched her briefcase with their equipment.

- Okay then. – she said, with a smile. – Let`s go. I want to go home.

- That`s the spirit.

The walk to the ambulance was a silent one. Mary was gratefull for it. After a slow day, all of her conversation topics had been exhausted. Nothing had really happened, just the occasional flu or the odd sprained ankle.

They got in the car and speeded off toward Maribel. Mary noticed that Smith was tense. His knuckles were white under his dark grey fur from the tension with which he grabbed the steering wheel.

- Smith? – she asked. – Are you okay?

- Yes, Yes. – he answered, but Mary saw that he was still tense. He parked the car in front of the luxourious hotel. He turned to Mary. – Look, Mary, what you`ll see when we arrive Will probably scare the hell out of you. If you don`t want to go, now`s the time to quit.

- Are you serious? – Mary asked, concearned.

- Yes, Mary.

She took a few moments to figure out what to do. This was her first assignement outside of the hospital. She was anxious to see how she could fare without all of the crew there to help her. But what Smith told her was also very serious. After a few seconds, though, she had an answer:

- Someone needs help. I`m coming with you.

Smith sighed. He grabbed his leather briefcase and they both exited the car. When they entered the hotel, she was taken aback by it`s beautifull interior, but the one thing that caught her attention was a small puddle of what seemed like blood on the carpet. Smith went to talk to the receptionist.

- We`re the doctors you requested. Where`s the patient?

The receptionist seemingly analyzed them, before turning his eyes back to the newspaper at his hands.

- Mr. Heller is in room 689. I suggest you hurry.

- Noted. Mary! – he said, taking her from the small trance she had experienced when she saw the small puddle of blood. – Let`s go, darling.

00000

Mary did not like the elevator ride. Besides the strong smell of smoke, the thing didn`t seem all that resistent, and on one moment she felt like the thing had swayed.

When the thing stopped, she hastilly jumped out of it, followed closely by Smith, who begun walking in a quick pace toward room 689. Mary followed him closely.

When they arrived at the door of room 689, she saw that the golden doorhandle was, in fact, red. Smith, seemingly not caring, grabbed the thing. He took a deep breath before he entered.

- What have I gotten myself into? – she heard him say.

He turned the handle, and Mary entered the room.

When she looked at the bed, she covered her mouth with her free hand in order to supress her gasp.

The white bed on which a black cat was placed on was now crimson red.


	3. Welcome to Marigold

Chapter 2:

Well, are you just going to stand there and do nothing, sweetie? – the fat tan cat next to the bed yelled at her. Smith quickly paced into the room.

- Asa, where is the... oh. – Smith said, as he turned to the bed. – How did Heller managed to do that to his shoulder? – he said, crouching near the bed and examining his patient.

- What`s going on here? - she said, shocked. - Smith, is this some kind of criminal orgniztion?

- Sort of...

Mary looked at her boss like he had just said that he believed in ghosts. How did Dr. Smith, the most uptight man she had ever known, knew these people. If she could distinguish right, the wound in the patient`s shoulder was a gunshot wound. Actually, not a normal gunshot. A shotgun...

_ - Non_ of your business, _founier._ – the white cat standing besides the bed said, showing his teeth. Mary saw a small stain of blood in a handwrap that was knotted around his wrist.

_ - Calmer, _Nico. – the small woman next to him said. – She the _médicin. _

Mary ignored them both as best as she could. In truth, her hands were trembling, and she could barely breathe. That was the most amount of blood she had ever saw pouring out of one injure.

In truth, Mary`s internship had just begun two weeks ago. She hadn`t even seen a very big case in her time at the hospital. She didn`t thought it would be this traumatic.

She crouched near the cat in the bed and approached her head to his shoulder. The wound was partially covered by the sleeve of his coat. They would have to take that off if they were to close that shot.

Smith got that as well, and he went to the other side of the bed to help her take of his coat. Mary gulped down in nervousness, and lightly touched the mangled shoulder.

His arm almost instantly snapped back and grabbed her wrist, making her give out a small yell of surprise.

She saw him open his eyes slightly. For a moment, she saw his pupils fix into hers. Then his eyes closed and his iron grip faltered. She blinked for a few seconds, before shaking her head and concentrating on taking off his coat.

- Holy mother... – she said, when she saw the full damage he had taken to his shoulder.

She could clearly see his bone from one of the bullet holes, and, if one of them had gone slightly to the left, it would have hit an artery. As much as his shoulder was a pile of junk right now, he was lucky.

- Are you ready, Mary? – Smith asked, tossing her a surgical mask. She nodded as she starpped her mask to her face and tied her hair in a ponytail.

Smith came to her side again, with a mask also straped to his mouth. He pulled out a cloth and waved it in front of the patient`s nose. His strained face went relaxed, signyfying he was unconscious.

Smith took out a scalpel. Mary tensed as the Sharp object slowly approached the black cat`s shoulder...

00000

Back in the pickup place, two cats strolled over the supplier`s body. One of them crouched near some crates. Taking out a crowbar, he slammed it into the lid and pulled it off, revealing bottles and bottles of liquor.

- Jackpot. – the cat in the white shirt said. – Waddya think, boss?

- Henry Sellick moved up to his associate, Jack Brown. The white cat gave off a half smile on his mouth when he picked up one bottle and inspected it.

- Jackpot indeed, Jack. – he said, storing it back in the box. – And I guess everything is working in our favour.

Jack turned around and smiled under his barret. The screech marks nearby showed that those idiots from Marigold had left in a hurry, and a second set of tire marks showed they had the police hot in persuit. The bullet holes on the walls also didn`t leave too much space to the imagination.

Henry walked back to the car, with his cane marking his every step.

- Let`s just hope the rest of the boys are doing everything right. – he said to Jack. – Now, pickup those crates and bring them here...

00000

In the Little Daisy Cafe, Ivy Pepper Sat idly on one of the tables in the back of the estabilishement. She wasn`t in her typical atire she usually wore on nights, but Mitzi had told her not to bother coming in as the Lackadaisy`s Prima Donna that evening. She knew business was bad, and with that behemoth Marigold on their necks, they had nothing to do.

She still admired Mitzi`s perseverance, though. Even with everything going wrong, she still tried to maintain the Lackadaisy Speakeasy running, even with all the drawbacks.

She heard a car park outside. She lifted her gaze from the table and looked to the street to see two coated men get out of a car. She was going to stand up to greet them, when she saw them pick two Tommy Guns from the trunk.

Her eyes wide with shock, she quickly dove under the table. She heard the thundering sound of gunfire and glass shattering. She could feel splinters of wood hitting her back. She heard shots rebounding off of the register and hitting the walls over her.

She wanted to scream.

The shooting stopped.

She covered her mouth with her hands. She knew that if those two men heard her, she was as good as dead. After a few gut wrenching moments, she heard a car speeding off.

She dared to look over the table top. The café was a mess. The Windows were now unexistant and the cash register had exploded, sending dollar bills everywhere.

She trembled in shock for a few moments, then ran downstairs to find Mitzi.

00000

- Carefull now... – Smith said to himself, as he slowly removed the last buckshot, dropping it in a small plate that Mary was holding out for him. She placed the plate on the drawer. – All right. Stitch him up, Mary.

She crouched again near the shoulder and picked the needle and the line. Very carefully, she pricked into one side of one of the holes. She slowly closed the wound, proeeding to do the same to all bulletholes.

Once that was done, she got the bandages and prepared to immobilize his arm. She wrapped the bandage around his arm, letting it resto n his cehst when she was done.

She slumped back onto the floor. Now they had to wait for him to wake up when the effects of the chemical passed.

Smith stood up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then, he turned back to Asa.

- There you go, Sweet. – he said, removing his mask. – He`s patched up.

- Thank you, Smith, my friend.

- May I ask something?! – Mary said, removing her mask. Both sweet and Smith turned to her. – How do you two know each other? What the hell is all this? How did he get shot? Who are the two Cajun there? And... do I smell alcohool?

Smith was wary of her questions, but Asa smiled.

- One question at a time, darling. – he begun. – Smith here owe`s me a favour or two. This "hell"... – he opened his arms. - is a very succesfull hotel and business. He... – he pointed at the cat on the bed - ...got shot on the job. Thos two Cajun there... – he pointed to the two, who were quiet for the moment. – Are Seraphine and Nicodeme Savoy, our employees. Just like Heller over there. And... – he continued, looking at her. – Yes, you smell alcohool.

Mary`s head started spinning. What had she gotten into?

- Welcome to Marigold, Mary. – he finished, with a smile.


End file.
